Desktop Support Analyst
Salary

A Desktop Support Analyst earns an average salary of $49,863 per year. A skill in Windows NT / 2000 / XP Networking is associated with high pay for this job. Most people with this job move on to other positions after 20 years in this career.

XTotal Pay combines base annual salary or hourly wage, bonuses, profit sharing, tips, commissions, overtime pay and other forms of cash earnings, as applicable for this job. It does not include equity (stock) compensation, cash value of retirement benefits, or the value of other non-cash benefits (e.g. healthcare).

XTotal Pay combines base annual salary or hourly wage, bonuses, profit sharing, tips, commissions, overtime pay and other forms of cash earnings, as applicable for this job. It does not include equity (stock) compensation, cash value of retirement benefits, or the value of other non-cash benefits (e.g. healthcare).

Job Description for Desktop Support Analyst

Desktop support analysts analyze and troubleshoot issues with desktop computers and their applications. In most businesses, this means dealing with Windows-based machines and applications; however, some firms run strictly Apple machines or run a mix of Apple and Windows machines, so knowing both types of systems well is an advantage.

Perhaps the most important part of the desktop support analyst's job is being able to patiently track down issues and break the problem-solving process down into easy-to-understand language.

Generally speaking, it takes a mid-size or larger business to be large enough to have one or more internal desktop support analyst positions. If the business’ main product is software, the desktop support analyst may hold a customer-facing position. Most analysts work during regular business hours, although companies large enough to need to provide 24/7 support also have second and third shift positions available.

While some employers desire or even require a bachelor’s degree, many require only that an applicant have adequate (usually two to three years’) experience with the desktop applications they will be supporting. Experience supporting the most common desktop applications, such as Microsoft Office and Intuit Quickbooks, is desired; many industry-specific software packages exist, and can add value to the desktop support analyst’s resume. The ability to troubleshoot larger issues, such as network problems, is also desirable, but not always required.